Fantastic Achievement As Trev Reaches 25 Years Of Service To The Club

16 June 2014

Notts Media Team

Head Groundsman Trevor Hutchinson arrived at Meadow Lane in the summer of 1989 and has been part of the furniture ever since...

He’s experienced plenty of highs and lows during that time including the Neil Warnock Wembley years, Big Sam Allardyce’s record breaking Division Three Champions campaign and the League Two title back in 2010.

Trev arrived straight from school and was given the opportunity of a youth training scheme after a successful interview process, despite his careers advisor saying he was wasting his time. He had worked in the industry since the age of 13 working on a farm and gathering plenty of horticultural experience.

The 42-year-old told the Official Site: “It feels fantastic to reach the milestone. I’ve had some wonderful years here, some hard times but I still love the job as much as the day I started.

“There have been some challenging experiences. The pitch back then was soil based with a massive crown on the centre of it, which was the old way of draining pitches. Back then there was a lot of water-logging.

“And in 2000 we went from a soil based, to what it is now, a sand based pitch which has helped the drainage, which gives us other challenges. It was a learning curve halfway through my career.

“The usage of the Meadow Lane pitch has obviously gone up too with Notts Ladies and Nottingham Rugby using the surface too in recent years and that brings it’s own new challenges.

“I count myself very fortunate to be still here and I hope I’m still here in 25 more years! I hope I’m still walking up and down the pitch by then!

“I think the good feeling is coming back now under Shaun and Greg and I’m very excited for the season to kick off already and some more exciting times.”

“I’d like to thank everyone at the club for their best wishes, I’ve worked with some great staff here. My old boss was Peter Thompson and he spent 39-years here, so I am looking to try and beat that.”

Stadium Manager Greg Smith praised his colleague's knowledge in the field and his service to the Magpies.

He added: “It’s a fantastic achievement, especially these days because you hear of so many groundsmen coming into the industry then disappearing.

“Throughout football, Trevor’s known because of his knowledge and with Notts County being the World’s Oldest Football League Club, people know him.

“In the 12 to 14 years that I’ve known him, I’ve always found that he’s been fantastic, he’s always helped and supported me with whatever we do.

“Whether that’s in the summer, like now, with renovations or in the winter when we’re struggling against fog and frost and snow.

“If it’s not here, it’s at the training ground, he’s someone who, for me, has been an ambassador for the club and 25 years has been fantastic.

“He’s had a good start with me and I hope he has another 25 years at the football club and that the fans appreciate what he’s done.

“When Shaun Derry came back, he put his arms around Trev because he knew him from when he was here before, and every club that comes here, be it pre-season or in the league, they know Trev.

“He still enjoys it, he’s still got enthusiasm, no matter what we’re doing, if we’re covered in snow or whatever, wet and soaked changing goals around on a Sunday evening from rugby to football, Trev’s always there with a sarcastic joke in there.

“It’s an honour to work with him and I hope he continues to work for another 25 years because he’ll out live me!”

Everyone at Meadow Lane would like to congratulate and thank Trev on his service and hard work for the past quarter of a century.